HJNO Mar/Apr 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS I  MAR / APR 2020 37 For weekly eNews updates and to read the journal online, visit HealthcareJournalNO.com Innovative Research Seeks to ImproveWalking for Children with CP Noelle Moreau, PhD, PT, associate professor of physical therapy at LSU Health New Orleans School of Allied Health Professions, and Kristie Bjornson, PT, PhD, associate professor of pedi- atrics at Seattle Children's Research Institute, are the co-principal investigators of a $2.7 million grant to study an innovative training method to improve walking in children with cerebral palsy (CP). The five-year grant was awarded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health. The researchers, at LSU Health New Orleans and Seattle Children’s Research Institute, will compare short bursts of vigorous intensity loco- motor treadmill training to traditional locomotor treadmill training. Children with CP are at greater risk for inac- tivity and functional decline with age. Children’s physical activity patterns are very different from adult patterns, yet the current locomotor tread- mill training protocols designed to improve walk- ing in children with CP simulate adult protocols. “Children with cerebral palsy walk primarily at lower-intensity stride rates with less variability, which limits their walking activity and ability to participate in daily life,” noted Moreau. “Typi- cally developing children engage in short bursts of intense physical activity interspersed with vary- ing levels of low-intensity activity throughout the day. We want to determine if the short-burst inter- val training will optimize motor learning resulting in improved walking capacity, mobility and per- formance for these children.” The study will determine the immediate and retention effects of short bursts of vigorous-inten- sity locomotor treadmill training in ambulatory children with CP on walking capacity, including community-based walking activity performance. It will determine whether the effects of short bursts of vigorous-intensity locomotor treadmill training on walking capacity and performance are brought about by improved muscle power generation. A unique aspect of the study is that the intervention will be delivered daily, five days per week, in the home setting by trained interventionist. “We want to make participation in the study as convenient as possible for the children and their families,” added Moreau. The study will enroll children with CP between the ages of six and 10 for a total of 72 partici- pants, 36 at each site. For more information about the trial, visit  https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/ NCT04026295. “This research is significant because it will be the first step in a continuum of research that is expected to direct locomotor training protocols and rehab strategies across pediatric disabili- ties and positively effect changes in community- based walking activity and performance for chil- dren with CP,” said Moreau. Pregnancy Disorder Subject of NewTulane Study A Tulane University researcher has received a grant that will support the development of new imaging methods to improve the treatment of preeclampsia. Carolyn Bayer, an assistant professor of biomed- ical engineering, said the five-year $1.57 million grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Develop- ment will enable her and her team to better determine the impact of specific drugs in the treatment of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder that accounts for 14 percent of global maternal deaths annually and affects five to eight percent of all pregnancies. Symptoms may include high blood pressure and protein in the urine and typically occurs after the 20th week of pregnancy. Typically, a patient with preeclampsia is moni- tored until the doctor determines that the risks to the mother and fetal health require the baby to be delivered possibly very early during the preg- nancy, Bayer said. “Currently, there are no effective treatments The American Heart Association (AHA) recently launched its Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Scholars program in New Orleans, with a special dinner recognizing the 2019- 2020 inaugural class of scholars and mentors. The scholars include, left to right, Morgan Jackson (Xavier), Delilah Davis (Dillard), Janee Knox (Dillard), and Brianna Allen (Xavier).